Paranoia at Age 5?
by obsessive-elphaba
Summary: Naruto gets beaten up when he's a little kid and it changes his interactions with people. When he comes back to Konoha and heads to the academy, he's cooler than Sasuke! Where does this put our favorite pinkette kunoichi? NaruSaku duh


Note: Remake of original challenge. No I did not paste the original on fanfiction but this one is better and is more complicated. So without further ado, my challenge from Heaven & Earth.

Challenge: Write about how Naruto gets beat up when he was five and Sarutobi sends him away to train until he can trust others again. When he comes back he becomes unemotional even more so than Sasuke. And all his fan girls turn to Naruto's. NaruSaku or I'll sue. Not really. Original challenge posted by Name. Yeah… well…

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The teenagers looked at the little boy and grinned evilly. "Hey, kid. Do you wanna play a game with us?" The little boy was a prankster and a mere apprentice of the devil, but he was unskilled at spotting evil. Because of this, the boy nodded his raggedy blond spikes and smiled. "Uh huh! Uh huh! Uh huh!" The leader of the teenagers smiled innocently, and in a kind voice said, "Here. You need this ball." He gave the boy a small red soft ball. The blond stared at the ball awestruck. He had never been given anything just because. He had always had to steal it. "Now whatever happens, you can't let go of the ball. That is, unless you wanna be uncool." The little boy wanted to be cool; he definitely did. "Now, the name of the game is… kill the man with the ball." The boy could barely process what was happening before it was too late…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sarutobi heard the scream and knew only one little boy whose voice could lift that high. Naruto raced into the Hokage office and slammed the door shut with his body. Sarutobi saw that the boy had been beaten pretty badly. His face had two black eyes, a bloody nose, and many bruises. His arms and legs were not at all better, and apparently his wrist was broken. "Naruto what happened?" The boy stared at him like a deer in headlights. As Sarutobi was prepared to comfort the boy, Naruto backed away trembling. Sarutobi easily backed him into a corner and picked him up. Naruto worthlessly kicked his feet and waved his arms trying to pull away. Someone knocked on the door, and as soon as Sarutobi put him down, Naruto crawled behind the desk to hide. "Iruka." The Third nodded as he let the man in. "Hokage-sama, we have the new applications for the academy." Naruto yelped. People were just scary. They sounded really nice, but so did that older kid. Iruka peeked behind the desk and smiled at what he saw. "Peek-a-boo." He said. Naruto kicked him as hard as his limp legs would allow. Iruka frowned and said, "Hokage-sama, is Naruto feeling okay?" Sarutobi knelt down as well to see Naruto worthlessly try to push the desk farther away. "Did something happen? He looks pretty beaten up." Iruka had never seen Naruto before, so he didn't really know what he looked like. But if someone looked that bad naturally, it would just be sad. "Well, he obviously has been beat up, but by who? Do you think it was the same teens?" Iruka just continued staring at the paranoid little boy. "Well, he obviously needs some rehabilitation, but how can we give that with the academy coming up?" Iruka asked. Sarutobi stood back up. "We could send him traveling with a trainer. That way he will meet new people while at the same time getting stronger…" Iruka just nodded.

Sakura skipped to the front of the room. "Hiya, Sasuke-kun!" She was rewarded with a cold dark stare. "Uhm, do you wanna go out with me?" The evil glare just grew stronger. Sakura sighed and sat down in her seat. It was the final week at the academy and she still hadn't been able to attract the amazing Sasuke Uchiha. "Class." She was saved from her depressing thoughts when she looked up. "Class, we have a new student starting today." Iruka announced. Why would someone be joining the class this late in the school year? "I want you to treat him kindly. Please give him a warm welcome — Uzumaki Naruto." Her mind suddenly processed what the boy looked like. This guy made Sasuke look like a toad. She stared dreamily as he walked and sat right next to her. Her eyes stayed focused on him as class continued. Naruto stayed completely still. Sakura just waited for him to make any move, to be human. "Sakura." Iruka snapped. She jumped and looked to the source. "Pay attention." She nodded flustered.

"Alright, class dismissed." It was a blessing to hear those words. Sakura watched as Naruto put up his books that she had unsuccessfully gotten out. "Hi." She said. He made a small nod of his head that she guessed was his way of signaling her to continue. "I'm Sakura. Its nice to meet you." He made that same gesture. "I just wanted to say… welcome to the academy. I hope you make lots of friends." He looked up, for he had finished putting up his books. "In fact… I could be one of those friends…" Sakura tried to stop herself. She was asking the coolest guy she had ever seen if he would be her friend in the lamest way possible. He raised an eyebrow. "Friend?" He asked. His voice was so deep and beautiful and seductive. She nodded and bit her lip. Sakura knew if she lasted any longer she would piss herself. He shrugged so coolly that she felt the fluids leave her body. "Great. See you later Naruto-kun!" She waved and ran out of the room and into the nearest restroom.

Naruto couldn't confirm what had actually happened. This girl was being nice to him and she was afraid of him? He thought the nice people were the ones planning the evil. "Hey, Naruto-kun." He heard her voice again as someone sat down at his table. "Sorry for running off like that." Sakura smiled awkwardly. "What are you having for lunch? Ramen? That's cool." He nodded a bit. She was seriously up to something; he just knew it. "Do you like it so far at the academy? If anyone is being mean to you, don't worry about it. They're just playing games with you." He went into defense mode preparing to be tackled by a thousand of her friends. The word "game" gave her away. But minutes passed and nothing happened. She just continued randomly talking to him about different subjects. No punches thrown.

Sakura woke up as early as her eyes would allow it. She put on some make up, did her hair, and repeated the process until she was sure she looked her best. "Sakura, you're going to be late!" Her mother called upstairs to her. Sakura sighed and quickly brushed through her pink hair for the five hundredth time. She walked through the village and blinked at who was walking by. "Naruto-kun!" She called and ran up to him. "Good morning!" She was interrupted by a familiar voice. "Ino-pig." She spat. "Oh hello, Sakura. I didn't see you. I was just talking to my friend Naruto. So Naruto-kun, are you seeing anyone at the moment?" Sakura exploded. "You can't date him! Even if you could, why would he wanna date a pig like you?" "Well, I've got better chances than a billboard-brow! And that stupid pink hair, are you completely blind of your ugly figure?" Ino crossed her arms over her chest. "You're one to talk! You're so desperate; you even have a hooker look to stand for. And the only reason you were my best friend is because you were too desperate to accept the fact you were a loser!" They were now head to head; completely unaware that Naruto had left them to brawl.

Naruto sat down and saw the girls staring at him. They were probably part of that girl Sakura's plan. He ignored them and continued watching the clock for the beginning of class. He only turned to see the squalling girls he had left fighting in the streets. "You fight like a sucker!" "Well at least I don't fight like a man!" "What? Are you suddenly attracted to me? Is that why you wouldn't accept the fact that Naruto-kun likes me best?" "You pig! Even if I was lesbian, you're still an ugly bitch!" Sakura stopped fighting when she noticed they were in the classroom. Ino did too. "Great, forehead. Your violent personality is going to ruin my social life." "Your social life?" "Yeah because I actually have one." Ino huffed and walked to her seat. Sakura stormed to hers. Naruto stared at her intimidated. If Sakura would do that to an acquaintance, he couldn't imagine what she would do to him. But, as if the past five minutes never happened, she turned to him and smiled. "Good morning Naruto-kun." Sakura noticed that his eyes were filled with fear. What was he afraid of; he looked like he could squish her like a bug. "I'm sorry about Ino. She can be a bit annoying at times. But I would never do that to you." The fear did not go away. She sighed sorrowfully. She looked back up to his fearful eyes and felt a tear fall down her cheek. "I'm sorry… I really am. I know I'm not making good impressions. I really like you…" Sakura looked away. He didn't look away, but she felt his gaze soften. "Class today we will…" She went into her own little world with thoughts. _'He probably hates me now…' __**'It's all that damn Ino-pig's fault. I'll kill her!'**__ 'But he won't like me for it.' __**'But you could… Awwww.'**__ 'I think I need a more settle approach. He seemed afraid of me.'__** 'Awwww can't I just kiss him and get it over with?'**_ "Sakura, you're still not paying attention." "I'm sorry Iruka-sensei. I'm just having some personal issues." Iruka rolled his eyes knowing perfectly well what she really meant. "Well, I'm sure they can wait. Please, your grade at the academy counts for participation as well." Sakura nodded and turned to Naruto. 'I wonder what he's thinking.' Naruto was nervous, unable to notice the sparkles in her eyes. He was so sure she was up to something. When class was dismissed, she again stayed behind with him. "Naruto-kun… do you hate me?" He raised an eyebrow. "Please don't hate me. I am really sorry about this morning. Please, I know I can't make you forgive me, but know I really didn't mean to…" She stopped when he looked up. "It's okay." He barely made a sound. She smiled and, without warning, hugged him. "Thank you so much." He didn't know what to do, so he simply stood there. "Uhm, do you wanna eat lunch with me… in a restaurant? Like a date…" She fiddled with her fingers. The last time Naruto heard the word date was that morning during Sakura's fight with Ino. He raised an eyebrow. "Well…" She mumbled. He again shrugged. This was it. As soon as he stepped into the restaurant, those in there would attack him. She smiled and grabbed his hand. He immediately froze. Her hand was soft… Last time he held anything soft, he was beaten intensely. But this time, it didn't feel like a scratch would end up on him. He slowly walked, not even trying to meet her pace. "So, did anything interesting happen yesterday?" She mused. He shrugged. "Uhmm, Naruto-kun, you can talk to me. I'm not going to hurt you or anything." He watched her for a moment. Something was happening, but he didn't know what it was.

They ate at a barbeque and she kept asking him pointless questions. "When did you move to Konoha?" He waited for a minute before answering, "Always lived here." "Why weren't you at the academy the first few years?" "Training." She nodded and took a sip of her hot tea. "Why did you go to training so young?" He raised an eyebrow, as he did a lot. "Why?" "Just curious is all." "Why?" "You're interesting. I just want to get to know you." He thought of what she was saying. Why would she want to know him if she was planning some devious plan. "Well, uhmm see you tomorrow, Naruto-kun." She stood up. Acting on impulse, she planted a small peck on his cheek. Blushing furiously, she walked out the door. How happy her mischievous side was when she ran into Ino. "Hiya, Ino. Guess what! I just got back from a date with Naruto-kun, and I kissed him!" She twirled in place. Ino was obviously angry and unconsciously twitched her left eyebrow. "C-congratulations…" She muttered. "What was that? I didn't hear you." Sakura put her hand to her ear to gesture what she was saying. Ino slapped her across the face and fumed off. Sakura giggled and skipped to her house.

Naruto couldn't believe it. She… kissed him? Was there no end to the strange things she did? A kiss. What was her deal? Did she really like him? "Good morning, Naruto-kun." Sakura skipped up to him. He nodded a bit. "Isn't this great? In a few days we will be graduating from this place. But we will be separated into teams. I hope you're on my team. It would be fun to go to training together." She smiled. "Sakura…" He barely said. She blushed. He had said her name for the first time. "Never mind…" He shook his head. "What?" She elbowed him. Naruto only shook his head. "Class today we will…" Iruka started his lecture. Sakura sighed wondering what he was going to say. "Class dismissed." The day had sped by yet again for the pink-haired daydreamer. "Naruto-kun, what was it you wanted to say to me?" He shook his head and walked with her through the halls. "Nothing." He stared at her. "You can tell me anything. Come on." He sighed. "I don't know how to explain it." Sakura sighed but continued talking about random things. "I've gotta go." Naruto interrupted her after skipping the final half of classes because they lost track of time. She looked at the clock… five thirty. She needed to be home for dinner. "Wait!" She called. He turned back to her. "Uhmm… I'm sorry for making you skip class. I'll see you tomorrow." He nodded. If he had let her kiss him yesterday, would he let her today?" She tried it. Slowly she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Why did you do that?" He asked before she could run away. She froze and could feel her face heat up. "I like you a lot, Naruto-kun…" She stammered before running off again.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun." She skipped to her seat again. He nodded a bit, and she saw his mouth form the slightest bit of a smile. "Did you have a good afternoon yesterday?" He nodded slowly. She smiled and sighed. "Do you believe in magic, Naruto-kun?" He raised an eyebrow because out of all the questions she had asked, this was oddest. "I mean, I'm just wondering. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't." He nodded in understanding. "I don't know." He answered. She just stared at him for a while. He was very aware of it too. "Sakura…" He turned to her. She nodded. "Whenever I'm around you… I don't know… but something happens… And it isn't bad… I don't know what it is." He turned away again. She was confused with what he said but nodded. "If it's not bad, is it good?" He slowly nodded. "Good." "Class today we will…" She stared at him the whole time. He suddenly stood up. Looking around, everyone did and they were heading outside. "Our first teams of combat are Sasuke and Ino versus Naruto and Sakura." Sakura smiled. She was going to get to fight with Naruto. Wouldn't it be the most awesome thing if she got knocked out and he did CPR on her? They headed to the battlefield and got into position. She already knew who her opponent would be. Ino-pig. "Sakura. Why did you skip class yesterday? We missed that beautiful pink blob on your head." "Aww, how sweet. I was talking with Naruto for the record." Sakura smiled haughtily. "Impressive. I bet he won't be going anywhere near you when I'm finished with you." "And… begin!" Iruka called. Sasuke charged at Naruto, but just as sudden changed directions to Sakura. Sakura couldn't think fast enough, but Naruto had protected her. He had not only saved her, but Naruto had managed to make a clone to go after Ino. "Wow…" Sakura whispered. Within minutes Naruto had single handedly beat both Ino and top-of-class Sasuke. As soon as Iruka shakily declared them winner, she tackled him. Though he was strong, he didn't support her weight with surprise. "Wow! Naruto-kun that was amazing! You saved my life and beat Ino and Sasuke all by yourself!" Naruto's face formed that slight smile and sat up. She blushed and got off from on top of him. "You're incredible! You're probably the best of our class!" Iruka watched Naruto cautiously. He wasn't supposed to be able to do the rasengan or the shadow clone technique, but he just did. "Naruto-kun, am I worthless?" He raised an eyebrow. "I didn't help at all in that fight… Do you think I deserve to be a ninja?" He nodded. "You're motivation." She blushed and continued walking with him. "Do you really think that?" He nodded. Sakura blushed even more. Naruto didn't know why her face was changing colors. He had just told the truth. "Thanks…" She whispered and ran off again. Naruto's stomach started doing flips; he knew what that something was. It was a feeling, but what was it?

Sakura sighed. She really wasn't looking forward to seeing the Hokage. But she had agreed to send the message. "Hokage-sama… what is love?" She heard a familiar voice. "Hmmm?" Sarutobi hummed in response, clearly amused. "Love. What is it?" She opened her mouth shocked. "Lets see. You really like someone. Your hands get sweaty. You feel self-conscious. You question your sanity. Should I go on?" Silence. "No I get the point. Thank you." Sakura ran to the other side of the hall because she heard him coming to the door. She pretended she had just gotten there. "Naruto." She smiled a bit. It wasn't easy. Knowing he loved someone else made her feel self-conscious. She wondered if she didn't just imagine it all. "Sakura. What are you doing here?" "Uhmm… I have to deliver a message to Hokage-sama. You?" "I was doing the same thing." She didn't like lying to him, and she didn't like the idea that he had lied to her. "I'll see you later…" She smiled. He nodded, and they parted ways.

"Sakura! You have to go to the academy! If you want to be a ninja!" Her parents shouted from the other side of the door. "NO! He'll be there! I don't want to see him ever again!" That was the biggest lie of her life. "Sasuke is just a boy… you'll get over him." "I'm not talking about Sasuke! I'm talking about Naruto-kun!" Her parents grew silent. They knew about Naruto. "What did he say to you?" Her father demanded. "Nothing bad." "Then why are you mad at him?" "Because, he told Hokage-sama he loved someone! Then he lied to me." Sakura became more frustrated each time she thought of it. "Sakura Haruno, this is just a boy too! He has the right to love whoever he wants. I'm sorry he lied, but you have to get over it." Sakura bit her lip and sighed. She opened the door and stormed to the academy. "Sakura." He nodded when she arrived. She nodded too. "How are you, Naruto-kun?" He nodded. "Fine." "Class today we will…" For once Sakura was rejoiced to hear that. After class she dragged Naruto out to the forests. "Sakura?" He raised his eyebrow. "I overheard your conversation with Hokage-sama." He nodded. She didn't see any spark of emotion. "Whom were you talking about?" He turned away and looked up at the sky. "We're awfully young for love don't you think, Sakura." "But you obviously have that feeling for someone. Who?" He sighed and shook his head. "I won't let you leave without telling me." She knew that if he really wanted to leave he could easily take her out. But he sat there staring at her. Her eyes tried their hardest to stay serious. She didn't want to break out crying because of him. "Well? Are you gonna tell me? Or are you going to attack me?" He suddenly… smiled, a soft smile. She was shocked to see him actually smile, and at her. The last time she had seen him smile was… never. It made her heart skip a beat. "You don't know what you're talking about, Sakura." "Just tell me!" She whispered, tears filling her eyes. With that said, he entered her personal bubble and had his lips pressed against hers. She was too awestruck to realize what had actually happened. She could've sworn it hadn't happened. "…You question your sanity…" Sakura blushed a bit and looked away to smile. "You love me…" She whispered. He nodded slowly. She started fidgeting with her hair before finally turning back to him. "Really?" He nodded again and looked away. "Why didn't you tell me?" He sighed. "I didn't know at first that I did. And I didn't know how. I was afraid…" He was so cool. Just as cool, maybe even more so, than Sasuke. But he was nice, caring, friendly, always listening, plus he loved her. Everything was all in one package. "You baka!" She tackled him. "You baka…" She smiled and blushed at how close they were. She kissed him. "You baka." She whispered.

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Well… done. Any of you Heaven & Earth people know Name. Also you should know I responded to his challenge but titled it Paranoia At Age Five? Yeah, so I like it when people Read and Review my stories. So I care what you say. If you say bad things, I'll try to improve. If you say good things, I'll try to improve. I also take what is called challenges. And that my friend is when you send me an idea that you thought of but don't want to write or think you will screw up (like I do) I don't know what a beta reader is so… I don't know… 0_0 Later! ^^


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